MG
Mary Goss
Our brain is a place of complete darkness yet it controls everything that we use to access the world. Each of our lives are, or will be, touched by the consequences of brain functions that are not adhering to the norm.
"Like the entomologist hunting for brightly coloured butterflies, my attention was drawn to the flower garden of the grey matter, which contained cells with delicate and elegant forms, the mysterious butterflies of the soul, the beating of whose wings may someday… clarify the secret of mental life…" Santiago Ramon y Cajal, 1917
I use fine art printmaking approaches combined with a number of contrasting mark-making techniques to investigate aspects of the anatomy and functioning of the brain. Recent works range in size from micro images drawn onto glass slides and viewed through a microscope, to screen-printed pieces that are approximately 100 x 70 cm.
My research is focused on the human brain and its capacity for change and growth. In the last ten months I have taken a particular interest in mid- to late nineteenth century and early twentieth century drawings based on the elements of neuroanatomy that were then being seen, and to some extent understood, for the first time.
I have a long-standing interest in neuroplasticity; the capacity of the brain to evolve, regenerate and compensate following set-backs, and to adjust to new challenges. Over many years, in my work as a counsellor/psychotherapist, I have seen how consistent practice and determination on the part of an individual can bring about significant changes that could only be made possible by the patient formation of new neural pathways and the conscious and unconscious abandoning of old, habitual pathways that are then left to fade. Paradoxically, as my research has expanded my technical knowledge and understanding, I have been drawn more deeply into the world of neuroscience, simply by the immense beauty of what is hidden there.